Hydrogenizing fatty matter.



F. W. DE JAHN. HYDROGBNIZING PATTY, MATTER.

APPLICATION PILED APR. 1, 1913.

Patented Mans), 1915.

5 ww nto/a UNITED STATES- JAHN, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

murmur; W. n

HYDROGENIZING FATTY MATTI-3B.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mal'. 9, 1915.

application led April 1, 1913. Serial No. 758,194.

To f//Z voli/)m 'it may concern.'

lic it known that l, Fmionrn lV. DE JAHN, a citizen of Norway, residing in the city of New Yorin borough of Manhattan, in the conntv of New York and State of New York, have iiownted certain new and useful 1mprovements in llydrogenizing Fatty 1v)datters. of which tlu` following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improveniente in processes for the hydrogenizing of fatty matters containing unsaturatef'il compounds, and thc primary ohject of the invention is to provide an improved and more ellicient process for lthe hydrogenising of fatty matter, including fatty acids and their glycerids hy catalysis.

Another importa nt object of my invention is to provide for the hydrogenation of fatty matters oy catalysis in a manner which will etliciently hydrogenize the fatty matter it is desired to treat. and in which the catalytic material employed will be eliminated from the prmluct so that the method will he particularly. although not necessarily. adapted for the hyd rogenation of fatty matters to be used as food.

A further oliject of my invention is to provide a method which will effect and main tain throughout intimate contact between the lattv matter, the added hydrogen and the catalyver. in which thel action of hydrogenation will he rapid and under complete control, and in which there will he no unnccik'sari' loss of hydrogen.

The invention consists in the improved method for carrying the same into eliect to ne unire l'ullv described hereinafter.l and the novelty of which u ill he particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

l have fully and clearly illustrated in the drawing forming part of this siieciiication a preferred en'iliodiment of an apparatus for eil'icientljt` performing my improved method.

l will now proceed to describe in detail the apparatus shown for practising' the improved method.

l designates a horizontally-disposed sta-v tionary vessel substantially cylindrical in form and of such capacity as to suit it for the treatimot of the desired amount of fatty matter. This vessel is preferably covered with a suitable heat-insulatim material Q, such asA asbestos. and is provided at its upper side with au inlet opening ii through which thc fatty ma ttor to he treated is introduced, said opening' being provided with a suitable detachable cover plate 4. Arranged to rotate longitudinally of the vessel 1 is a beater shaft 5 carrying suitable stirrers 6, said shaft projectingat one end beyond a head of the vessel and carrying on said end a drive pulley 7, hy which the shaft and stirrers are rotated. This vessel 1 is provided with heating means preferably consisting of a coil of pipe 8, arranged in the bottom thereof and adapted to have steam or hot oil circulated therethrough. The vessel is also provided with a valve-controlled inlet pipe 9 for hydrogen, said pipe having connected thereto a pressure gage eating the pressure of hydrogen supplied to, and maintained within, the vessel 1. r1`he vessel is also provided with a suitable valvecontrolled pipe 11 for supplying nitrogen, or other inert gas, to vessel 1 for a purpose fully hereinafter.

12 is a pipe connected with the interior of the vessel 1 and to a suitable vacuum pump (not shown) for exhausting air from the interior of the vessel 1, said pipe having connected thereto a suitable gage 13 for indicating the air pressure Within said vessel 1, and being controlled hy a hand valve 12. The vessel 1 is also provided with a valvecontrolled outlet pipe 14 by means of which the contents of said vessel may be Withdrawn. nOpening from the bottom, preferahly, of the vessel 1, is an outlet pipe 15 connected to the inlet side of a positive rot-ary pump 16, the outlet side of which pump is connected loy a pipe 17 with the upper end of a vertically-disposed reaction chamber 18, the side wall and heads of which are protected h v suitable heat insulation 19, 1n pipe 17 is a thermometer for determin" ing .the temperature of the circulating emulsion. This chamber 18 is connected at its lower end with an outlet pipe 20 connected by a return pipe Q1 to the inlet side of a gas separator 22, which may he of any suitable construction suitable to separate gases from liquids, said separator having a valve blowotf conduit. The outlet side of the separator is connected by a valve-pipe the vessel l, said pipe 24 also containing a check-valve Q5 automatically closing away from the vessel l to revent flow from the vessel 1 directly to t e pipe 24 of gas or emulsion.

The chamber 18 is provided With a suitable pipe connection Q6 to a vacuum pump,

to be set forth more 10 for indithe interior of the 'r 24 to the top of 1 .lll

loo

said connection being provided with a gage 27 and controlling valves 28. The chamber 18 is also provided with a valve-controlled inlet pipe 29 for the admission4 of nitrogen, or other inert gas, to the reaction chamber. This reaction chamber 19 has arranged therein a suitable catalyst which may consist of cobalt, palladium, nickel or any other catalyst which will bring about the desired reaction. The catalyst 30 preferably consists of finely-divided nickel carried in thin layers on an inert material, such as porous burnt clay-lumps or balls, or pulnice stone. The catalyst is supportedjlpon a diaphragm of perforated metal 31 located over a layer of suitable filtering material 32, the latter l being sup orted upon the diaphragm 33 of Eerforate metal rackets 34 at a point above the lower end of the reaction chamber.

The pipe 20 is rovided with,a draw-off branch 20 controlled by a valve 20A ermitting withdrawal of material inthe ottom of the reaction chamber. The heads of the reaction chamber are removable to permit the insertion and .removal of the catal tic material, the cleansing of. the interior ofy said chamber, or for other purposes.

The heads of the chamber 1 are also removable-to permit of access to the interior of said vessel. AIL of thepipes'in the apparat'us for conveying the fatty matter may preferably be covered with heat insulation (notl shown)` with the exception, of course,Av

trogen,l or other inert gas, admitted to said 0f the heating coil 8.

=Ltvill now proceed tion scribing in detail in my improved process.

The fatty matter to beftreated, and preferably previously heated, so as to be in a liquid state, is introduced into the vessel 1 throughth@ opening 3, and the pump 16 is operated, to draw the fatty matter from the vessel 1"and force it into the reaction chamber and the circulatory system, the opera.-

to describe the operaconnection therewith tion of thepump and the supply of fatty 55. maintain the fatty matter in l treat matter being continued until the reaction chamber and the circulatory pipes are filled, ,and the chamber 1 is substantially half filled, with the fatty matter. The circula-, tion of heating material through the coil 8 is maintained preferably during the filling of the vessel 1 and at all times in order to a liqpid state at the proper temperature. The system having been supplied with fatty matter to be as Just described, thepump 16' is stopped, the closure 4 is applied to the supply opening 3, and a vacuum is applied through the pipes 12 and 26 to exhaust the air from the interior of the system, the action of the exhausting means (not shown) being continued until the gages 13 and 27 indicate that all the airhas'been exhausted supported on lugs or- -ter is continued until the of the apparatus, above set forth,'de-

that this pipe is closed by a gas will be drawn from the vessel 1 through the pipe 15 'and forced through the pipe 17 into the reaction chamber, into contact with the catalyzing material therein, and the said mixture broughtup to a temperature of say 150160 C. The said mixture passes through the catalyzing material and leaves the reaction chamber through the pipe 21, fiowing therethrough and through the separator 22 and'pipe 24 back to the mixing chamber 1'. During the passage of the mixture through the catalyzing material, the oil, hydrogen and catalyzer will come into perfect contact with each other and a speedy reaction will takev place, resulting in effective saturation or hydrogenation of the fatty material. The circulation of the fatty matdesired degree of hydrogenation has taken place, and the saturated matter is then withdrawn from the vessel land the reaction chamber 18, after the small amount of hydrogen left has been replaced, and carried ofi` by a stream of nivessel and chamber through the pipes 11 and,29, respectively, in order to prevent explosive mixtures.- During the circulation of the fatty mattei' through -the system it will be apparent thatpthe admission of hydrogen may be kept up continuously to the vessgl- 1, or it may be admitted from time to time until the desired degree-of saturation of the fatty material has taken place, and in order to maintain a proper pressure. It will be apparent that, when the saturated' material leaves the reaction be freed of the fine particles of catalyst, having been filtered by the filtering material 32. his is important in that fatty matters. for use as food can ratus as well as fatty matters to be used for soap or other commercial purposes. The same operation takes place if a hydrogencontaining gas, such as water gas, is em-l played instead of hydrogen, the separator 22 'servingto separate and eliminate the gases from the fatty matter when it is returned to the mixing vessel from the reaction chamber. yThe eliminated gases escape through the pipe 23.- It will be understood suitable valve when hydrogen alone is used for saturat-ing the fatty matter.` l Incarrying outthe process-the fatty matl ll') chamber, it will be treated by this appater is agitated. or beaten up in the veeel 1 until it is in an emulsion-like condition consistingz,r of minute globules confining and holding the hydrogen gas therein in e finely divided condition, the purpose being to have the hydrogen gas thoroughly interrnixed with the fatty matter when the latter is subjected to the catalytic action.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States iszl. The process of hydrogenizing fatty matter containing unsaturated compounds, which consists in rst forming` an intimate mixture of fatty matter 'with hydrogen in a finely divided condition in one vessel, and subsequently subjecting the said mixture to tl action of a catalytic agent in another ve and out of contact with the matter in first vessel.

l The process of hydrogenizing fatty matter containing unsaturated compounds, which consists in first forming an intimate mixture of fatty matter with hydrogen in a finely divided condition in one vessel, and subsequently subjecting the said mixture to the action of a catalytic agent in another vessel and circulating the fatty matter con,- tinuously through said vessels.

3. The process of hydrogenizing fatty matter containing unsaturated compounds, which consists in forming an intimate mi`x ture of fatty matter with hydrogen by agitation in one vessel, subsequently subjecting the said mixture to the action of a catalytic agent in another vessel separate from the first named vessel, continuously circulating the fatty matter through said vessels and continuing the mixing the fatty matter by agitation with hydrogen in said rst vessel dui-inaf the circulation.

4. The process of hydrogenizing fatty matter containing unsaturated compounds, `which consists in first forming an intimate mixture of fatty matter with hydrogen by agitation in the presence of heat in one Vessel, subsequently subjecting the said mixture to the action of a catalytic agent in another. vessel, continuously circulating the fatty matter through said vessels, and continuing the agitation of the matter in said first vessel during tlie circulation.

5. The process of hydrogenizing fatty matter containing unsaturated compounds, which consists in introducing fatty matter into a mixingr vessel and a reaction chamber containing a catalyst, withdrawing air from said vessels, forming an intimate mixture by agitation of the fatty matter with hydrogen in the mixing vessel, and circulating; the mixture continuously through said vessels.

6. The process of hydrogenizing fatty matter containing unsaturated compounds, 'which consists in introducing fatty matter into a mixing vessel and a reaction chamber, said chamber containing a catalyst, withu drawing air from said vessel and chamber, forming an intimate mixture by agitation of the fatty matter with hydrogen in the mixq ing vessel, and circulating the mixture continuously through said vessels until satura-- tion taires place, and then. introducing an inert gas into said vessels.

7, The process of liydrogenizing fatty matter containing unsaturated compounds, which consists in first forminrr an intimate mixture of fatty matter with hydro gen in one vessel, subsequently subjectn ing the said mixture to the action. of a cata.- lytic agent in anotherl vessel, removin the catalyst from said fatty matter, anreturning the fatty matter to said first vessel, said process being conducted continuously in a closed circulatory system.

fn testimony whereof l have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two sub` scribing witnesses.

FREDRIK W. DE JAHN. Vitnesses:

M. E. MCNINCH, C. G. HEYLMUN. 

